Keynote Speakers

Adria Vasil

Adria Vasil is author of the book: Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services in Canada. She has since then turned the book into a regular column at NOW magazine. She offers information about the best products and methods and services for truly going green. Vasil has a degree in development politics and cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto and a degree in magazine journalism from Ryerson. An advocate for the earth, women’s issues and human rights since her teens, Vasil has appeared on MTV Canada and CBC’s Newsworld to promote environmentalism.

Brian McHattie

After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a degree in environmental studies, Brian completed his MSc degree in planning and community development from the University of Guelph, where he studied the effects of globalisation on farmers in southern India. He is a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planning. 

Before being elected into his current position as Hamilton, Ward 1 Councillor, he worked for Environment Canada on efforts to cleanup the Great Lakes and with Environment Hamilton as the regional coordinator for the Canadian Community Monitoring Network. Brian has also worked for the Hamilton Conservation Authority and the Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC). Brian was also employed as a sessional lecturer at McMaster University in the Arts and Science Programme.

Hon. Hassan Ali

Hon Hassan Ali is a political activist and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. He is a Deputy Minister of the Sri Lankan government and will be flying in from Colombo Sri Lanka to talk about Re-Envisioning Asia and , with an emphasis on what Canada can do.

Matt Wood

You may have heard of, or seen the documentary Invisible Children. It started in 2003 when three young Americans travelled to Africa and were astonished by the untold story of children in Uganda who commute in the night to avoid abduction from rebels forcing them into their ranks. Since then, people around the world have come together to give these children an international voice advocating change, and Matt is a Regional Director. He will be talking about the atrocities in Uganda, how youths saw a problem and took action, and the vision and movement that is occurring on an international scale since then. May it inspire the visionary in you!